Italian
One of the most active of sales agents at this week’s Ventana Sur, Madrid-based Latido Films has closed international rights on adventure-comedy “Small Town” (“Pueblo Chico”) a parable of greed and instance of the building scale and ambition of Latin American animation co-production whether regional or reaching out to Spain.
The subject of a Ventana Sur panel on Wednesday, “Small Town,” long in the works, marks the comeback of Uruguay’s Walter Tournier (“Selkirk”), one of the most veteran of Latin American animation directors whose career stretches back to 1972’s cut-out animated short “In the Forest There Is Much to Do” and takes in Uruguay’s first animated feature, “Selkirk.”
In “Small Town,” a winner at Ventana Sur’s 2017’s Animation! which segued to a 2018 Animation! Focus at Annecy’s Mifa’s market, Tournier co-directs with another acknowledged Latin American master of stop-motion animation, Brazil’s Quirino winner Cesar Cabral (“Angeli the Killer,” “Bob Spit – We Do Not Like People”).
Popular on Variety Described by Latido Films head Antonio Saura as a “charming all family story,” “Small Town” turns on how the children of a little town manage to save the day after people discover they can create energy from cow farts, prompting an economic boom at the expenses of human and humane relations, and the attempt of an evil speculator to try to rob village folk of their well earned livelihood.
“Small Town” poses two questions, Tournier has suggested in a WIP video: “It explores the relations between humans, encouraging us to reflect on their nature and direction. It prompts us to consider our current state and our future path.” Also, it “highlights the significance of children who are often not given the importance they deserve.”
“We have had the chance to admire the work of both Walter Tournier and Cabral for years. To get the chance to represent a project involving those amazing talents is already a privilege,” said Saura. “But on top of this, this film has a great idea, funny, intelligent, that not only keeps us living how the characters move in the beautiful way that these two masters have invented, but they delight us with a charming and joyful story. The production team could not be better, joining talents from three countries with a vast experience in animation. What can possibly go wrong!” he added.
A Uruguay-Brazil-Spain feature, “Small Town” is produced by Esteban Schroeder’s La Suma, behind “Selkirk”; Brazil’s Coala Filmes, Cabral’s label, and Ivan Melo’s Cup Filmes (“Baby”); and Tornasol Filmes (“The Secret in Their Eyes”) and top toon house Abano Produccións (“Unicorn Wars,” “Valentina”).
Written by Tournier and Abano’s Chelo Loureiro, director of “Valentina,” “Small Town” will “start now the process of building more than 200 pieces in an extremely well planned system where Uruguay and Brazil will collaborate, producing an amazing stop motion film,” said Saura.
